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Research
Liam Newby
Liam Newby from Sunderland is someone who's story I have came across through researching news outlets about knife related scarring in males. Liam was the victim of an unprovoked knife attack whilst he was walking his dog in April of 2016.
The scar that Liam has developed from his injury is what interested me most about this story as it resembles what would have been called a 'Duelling Scar' in the early 20th Century. I thought this was a perfect example of times and opinions have changed on this type of scar in particular.
Whilst in an interview with Metro News Liam is quoted saying, "It’s just not something you ever expect to happen to you."
Leon Cheslett
Another example of this type of facial scarring which has occurred through an unprovoked attack is Leon Cheslett's. Leon like, Liam I have mentioned above had not put himself into the position to receive such an injury that would leave him with such an exaggerated facial scar.
Leon had stepped in to break up a fight on a night out in Sheffield in November 2016 and unfortunately ended up the victim of a vicious knife attack.
The reason these two instances are so interesting and relevant to my work is because the both of these men for the rest of their lives will now be judged differently by the public. Through no fault of their own both of these men have gained facial scarring that some people might find intimidating or maybe even some people may think these men live a lifestyle in which these kind of injuries can happen.
Liam speak to an interviewer at the BBC and said in regards to his scar, "Sometimes I look in the mirror and say I am never going to look the same, that has been a big issue to me, what people think about me and getting over that step of my confidence."
Otto Skorzeny
These type of facial scars were known as duelling scars and this is a perfect example of one. During the first World War these scarring were very common amongst Austrian and German Soldiers and were seen as a Badge of Honour. These scars would have been obtained through academic fencing at the upper class universities these men would have attended before the war and were subsequently looked upon as a sign of bravery and class.
This is the same style of scar as seen in the two cases spoken about above but they are judged in two very different ways.
Eduard Wolfgang Zorer
Zorer's scar is another perfect example of the Duelling scar or Mensur scar. Although not as harsh as others it is something that is still very visible and would have been worn with pride.
The real point in making a comparison between now and how these scars were viewed in the past can be seen in how these scars are worn with pride in these portraits.
Jason Mamoa
Jason Mamoa's facial scarring on his eyebrow is a good example of what would be called acceptable facial scarring. Jason is an A-List celebrity and due to this his facial scarring is overlooked although I do think if his scarring was more severe this would be a different story. Mamoa obtained his scar in a bar fight where he unfortunately was attacked with a broken bottle back in 2008 but this did not seem to slow him down and his career has skyrocketed since. As someone in the public eye who is visibly scarred I believe his is a great example of how scarring can be represented within media and how this affects the self esteem and lives of people living with these injuries.
Mamoa's eyebrow scarring is similar to type of scarring we have seen in Hollywood before and actually is something that has become quite trendy with the 'Bad Boy' look. People are going as far as to get a small slit cut into their eyebrow at the barber to imitate this type of scarring. I find this very interesting when you consider how strongly people feel about other types of facial scarring in todays society.
Scarification
Scarification is something that has become popular within western culture after a boom in popularity of body modification in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Scarification is something that was originally developed by the tribes of West Africa as means of identification.
Tribes such as Ko from Burkino Faso still practice scarification but they fear it will be something that will be lost within a generation. As humanity has progressed scarification has become something that is no longer celebrated within tribes and is often ridiculed by the outside world. Scarification would be markings made to signify identity or transition into adulthood, in some cases bravery, but now there are less and less willing participants in this practice due to the ridicule the tribes people are facing when communicating with the outside world.
I believe this is direct affect of media influence on humanity and how that is then reflected upon these kind of traditions. Spreading negativity and shaming people because there chosen aesthetic is something that is taught and is not a natural reaction to visible scarring.
Links
The links to each of these case studies can be found below:
https://metro.co.uk/2016/04/04/dog-walker-left-with-horrific-scar-following-random-knife-attack-5794618/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-43032351
https://historyofyesterday.com/dueling-scars-the-badge-of-honor-of-many-nazi-officers-8bfc72f1dfa
https://portraitofwar.com/2017/12/26/wwi-german-facial-dueling-scars-mensur-scars-and-wwi-portraits/
http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/permanent-body-arts/scarification.html
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